Longhorned Borer Beetle: Neoclytus scutellaris

Beetle on Oak Debris June 20, 2010 Hi. I found a bunch of these guys skittering around on the stump and debris of an oak tree my parents had cut down in their yard. At first I thought they were some sort of crickets; they were moving rather quickly and it was hard to get a good look let alone a picture. But I finally succeeded. I’m not so practiced at IDs for beetles, but I think I am correct that they are one of the wood borer beetles: neoclytus scutellaris (no common name that I could find). I was unsurprised, though, when I read that they like dead and dying oaks; they’d found this one less than 24hrs after it had been cut down. I’m hoping to have some pictures soon from the cocoons I rescued from the cut down branches. Karen H. Belleview, FL

Neoclytus scutellaris

Hi Karen, We agree with your identification of Neoclytus scutellaris, a Longhorned Borer Beetle whose larvae, according to BugGuide: “feed in sapwood of (dead?) oaks, hickories, also grape.”

5 Responses to Longhorned Borer Beetle: Neoclytus scutellaris

My brother and I made an end table out of a wood stump and these guys are starting to appear and holes are popping up in the stump. Is there any way to get rid of them? Do they live in the stump or are the coming into the house and burrowing in it?

You can try getting rid of the stump to get rid of the Borer Beetles. They are emerging from the stump in which they were living as larvae or pupae when you brought the stump indoors, and now that they have matured, they are appearing.

A beetle got into my bedroom that I don’t recognize. It was large with long antenae and a very tiny head. The color was dark green and black. I lived in Baton Rouge, LA. I can attach a photo to an email if I get a response from your staff.